2.7m people displaced by drought in Horn of Africa – WFP

 Drought conditions in the Horn of Africa region have displaced around 2.7 million people, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said.

In a regional situation update report, the WFP said that 1.7 million people in Somalia, 516,000 people in Ethiopia and 466,000 people in Kenya have been displaced by drought.

The WFP report further disclosed that the arrival of hundreds of thousands of refugees in drought affected areas of the three countries is exacerbating food insecurity in the region.

“The Horn of Africa region has experienced severe meteorological drought following consecutive seasons below-normal rainfall since late 2020.

“This has impacted on agriculture, livestock, vegetation, water resources, livelihoods and grazing resources,” the WFP report said.

The UN agency estimated that prolonged drought in the Horn of Africa region has left 23.4 million people acutely food insecured and 5.1 million children acutely malnourished.

Earlier this year, the WFP warned that the occurrence of another poor rainy season between March and May 2023 would have devastating consequences for communities across the Horn of Africa region.